AWC basketball previews

Arizona Western women at (3) Mesa
Time: 5:30 p.m. today, Theo Heap Gymnasium, Mesa
Media: 560-AM KBLU, www.azwestern.edu/athletics
Last game: The Matadors lost to South Mountain 66-57; The Thunderbirds drubbed Scottsdale 66-35.
Records: AWC (22-7 overall, 14-5 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference); Mesa (21-6 overall, 14-5 ACCAC)
Players to watch: Samantha Wallace led the Matadors with 20 points the last time these two teams met, a 66-61 home win in January. She also scored 17 in the loss at South Mountain and leads the team with 16.9 points and 11.4 rebounds. ... Madison Austin is the Thunderbirds’ leading scorer with 12.7 points per game.
The lowdown: The Thunderbirds have already locked up the No. 1 seed in the NJCAA Region I Division II playoffs. On the other hand, the Matadors can finish as either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed on the Division I side of things. A win coupled with a Cochise loss to Pima gives the Matadors a home game against the Apaches in the semifinal Wednesday. Anything else, and AWC heads to Douglas for the second time in as many weeks. ... AWC has won the last five in the series and 21 of the last 26. ... Mesa finished fifth in the DII national tournament last year. ... Mesa has five straight 20-win seasons.

(23) Arizona Western at Mesa
Time: 7:30 p.m. today, Theo Heap Gymnasium, Mesa
Media: 560-AM KBLU, www.azwestern.edu/athletics
Last game: The Matadors beat South Mountain 64-56; The Thunderbirds — who unlike the Mesa women are Division I in basketball — beat Scottsdale 75-56.
Records: AWC (24-5 overall, 19-2 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference); Mesa (23-6 overall, 18-3 ACCAC)
Players to watch: Marvin Whitt scored 20 in the win against South Mountain, two less than his total in the teams’ last meeting, a 57-44 win in Yuma. ... Christian-Griggs Williams scored 12 in that January meeting, just a hair less than his current team-high 11.9 average.
The lowdown: The final seedlings may be a bit complicated, but the basic structure is simple — if the Matadors win tonight, they host a first round game Thursday. If they lose, they are on the road. They can be anywhere between the No. 1 and the No. 3 seed. They need a win coupled with a Phoenix upset of Central Arizona to earn the top seed and two home games. Mesa owns the tiebreaker against the Mats courtesy of its 1-1 record against Central, while the Matadors were 0-2 against the Vaqueros. ... AWC has beaten Mesa four straight times.
— Edward Carifio